Zoho Books

Online accounting and GST-compliant financial management for nonprofits and social purpose organisations

Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting platform used by organisations to manage invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting in a single system. It supports GST-compliant workflows in India, enabling organisations to generate invoices, track taxes, and maintain structured financial records.

Zoho Books

Programme finance challenges for nonprofits and social purpose organisations

Challenge
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Tracking income and expenses across multiple programmes and funding sources can be difficult using spreadsheets.

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Donor and grant reporting requires structured financial records aligned with funding conditions.

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Compliance with regulations such as GST, Income Tax, or FCRA requires accurate and audit-ready data.

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Financial data is often fragmented across tools, leading to duplication and reconciliation challenges.

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Limited visibility into programme-wise spending affects financial planning and reporting.

Solution
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Tools like Zoho Books enable organisations to manage invoicing, expenses, and financial records within a single platform, supporting structured reporting, compliance, and visibility across programmes and funding sources

Key capabilities of Zoho Books

Four core capabilities that support financial management and compliance

GST-compliant invoicing

Create invoices with automatic tax calculation and generate GST reports such as GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B

Expense and cash flow management

Track expenses, manage vendor bills, and monitor cash flow through structured records

Bank reconciliation

Connect bank accounts and reconcile transactions with automated matching and rules

Reporting and integrations

Access financial reports and integrate with tools such as Zoho Payroll and Zoho CRM

Pricing for nonprofits

Zoho Books uses a subscription-based pricing model with a free plan available.

Free Plan

  • basic invoicing and accounting features
  • limited users and invoices

Paid Plans

  • advanced reporting, automation, and integrations
  • pricing scales based on usage and features

Best suited for which organisations?

Organisations requiring GST compliance

Supports tax calculation and GST reporting within the platform

Small and growing organisations

Provides structured accounting without requiring complex systems

Organisations managing expenses and invoicing

Combines invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting

Organisations using Zoho ecosystem

Integrates with other Zoho tools for finance and operations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zoho Books used for?

Zoho Books is used to manage accounting, invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting

Is it GST-compliant in India?

Yes. It supports GST invoice creation, tax calculation, and report generation

Is Zoho Books free?

Yes. A free plan is available for small businesses with limited usage

How does it compare to TallyPrime?

Zoho Books is cloud-based and accessible remotely, while TallyPrime is more widely used for traditional accounting workflows in India

Want to learn more?

The information provided here is created as a community resource and is not intended as professional advice or a recommendation by ILSS or Koita Foundation. While we strive to ensure the accuracy of the content, we do not take responsibility for any errors or omissions. Users should use their own discretion before making any decisions based on this information. ILSS or Koita Foundation assume no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.